Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said he’s “not inclined” to join a Democratic filibuster to complicate the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.

“I am not inclined to filibuster, even though I’m not inclined to vote for him,” Leahy — a former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee — told the VTDigger news outlet for a Monday article.

Senate rules require 60 votes to bring Gorsuch’s nomination to a floor vote, but there are only 52 Republicans.

Patrick LeahyGetty Images

If the Dems don’t go along, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has hinted he’ll invoke the “nuclear option” and change the rules to require a simple majority. New York Sen. Chuck Schumer last week announced he’d reject Gorsuch’s nomination and urged his colleagues to filibuster.

No Democrats have come out in support of Gorsuch, a federal appeals court judge from Colorado. Republicans have widely praised President Trump’s choice as an exceptional successor to Judge Antonin Scalia.

“His resume speaks for itself,” Sen. Chuck Grassley, top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said Monday at a hearing. “Last week we got to see up close how thoughtful, how articulate and how humble he is. He is clearly deeply committed to being a fair and impartial judge.”

The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on his nomination April 3, after Democrats on Monday gained a one-week delay on his confirmation.

While Gorsuch breezed through his confirmation hearings last week, Democrats are reluctant to put him on the bench because they view his nomination as a stolen seat.

Republicans refused to even hold hearings on President Obama’s nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, last year following Scalia’s unexpected death.

“You can imagine, perhaps, on our side the depth of feeling that came about during this period of time,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee.

“From March and April there was plenty of time to handle a nominee and yet the decision was made that President Obama would be denied his fourth year.”